Trump’s favourability rises in poll despite indictment

Nearly half of Americans believe charges against Trump are politicaly motivated

The popularity of Donald Trump rose among Americans despite him becoming the first president to be indicted twice, while Joe Biden’s favourability marked a decline, according to a latest poll

The poll suggested that the ex-president was consolidating more and more support from the people who believe his federal indictment was politically motivated at a time when he is running for the White House and is considered as the front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

Mr Trump emerged as the favourable choice of 31 per cent of people, marking a six per cent rise from April, a poll by ABC News and Ipsos conducted after his second indictment suggested.

Mr Biden’s popularity was tied with Mr Trump, with 31 per cent of people finding him a favourable choice.

His ratings marked a decline of three per cent, hitting an all time low since 2020, in what was the worst indication for the president who launched his re-election bid for 2024 elections.

The survey was conducted on 9-10 June with 910 people interviewed on a range of questions, including their view on criminal charges brought against the former president.

Mr Trump was continuing to consolidate support even after his first indictment in New York in alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and his latest in the classified documents case.

A federal grand jury indicted the former president on 8 June on charges stemming from his alleged unlawful retention of national defence information. The 49-page indictment was unsealed on Friday (9 June), revealing 37 counts against the ex-president.

2024 hopeful Donald Trump arrives to speak at the North Carolina Republican Party Convention in Greensboro, North Carolina on Saturday (AFP via Getty Images)

His favourability correlated with how people felt about charges bought against him. Around 47 per cent of people said the charges against Mr Trump were politically motivated, compared to 37 per cent who did not see politics behind the indictments.

At the same time, more people wanted Mr Trump to be charged and held accountable for federal felonies than those who believe he should not be.

Nearly half – 48 per cent of Americans – said Mr Trump should have been charged in the cases while 35 per cent voted against it.

In his first public address since the Department of Justice unsealed its indictment, Mr Trump called the charges “ridiculous and baseless” returning to the campaign trail.

“This is a political hit job. Republicans are treated far different at the Justice Department than Democrats,” Mr Trump claimed at a state GOP convention in Columbus.

“They’re cheating, they’re crooked, they’re corrupt – these criminals cannot be rewarded, they must be defeated.”